WC Black 5 Edge vs SP Tornado 17g?

[USERNAME]

I will be trying these strings side-by-side, hopefully, very soon and was just wondering what other people thought about these strings. Also if anyone has tried them against each other Id love to hear your thoughts. Quite a few friends and training partners have been telling me to try this string and that string but these 2 caught my attention so I just decided to throw them up against each other since they seem similar. I have been using (and loving) Kirschbaum PLII btw if anyone wanted to know.

 

[un6a]

Looking forward too your findings. I like PL II too. For me Tornado feels stiff for about 2-3 hours and than softens up and from there plays fairly comfortable. It holds tension better than PL II, but i didn't noticed any massive increase in spin over PL II, after few hours textures wears off anyway. I like both strings, but prefer PL II because this one plays good right from the start. I did not tried B5E, though reviews on this string are mixed.

 

[mikeler]

I used both in a hybrid and liked B5E better in every area.

 

[Hotrocks]

Tornado

Tornado....by far the best! But.....It's all what feels good to you!

 

[USERNAME]

I used both in a hybrid and liked B5E better in every area.

Tornado....by far the best! But.....It's all what feels good to you!

Thats what Im hearing from the 5 guys telling me to try these lol, 3 say Tornado is the best and 2 say B5E is the best. Well I should be getting on court with these at some point next week. Quick Q, how fast does the edges wear out on Tornado? How fast do they wear out on B5E (if they do at all)? Ill be going full bed at 54lbs btw.

 

[mrtrinh]

i would also have to go with tornado but its seriously all about preference. reason i prefer tornado over b5e is because its more lively. both generate good spin and hold tension very well but b5e just felt dead to me

 

[pvaudio]

B5E, no question. Tornado is more powerful, but if you string B5E at 50lbs, it seriously transforms. Every aspect about it gets better, while sacrificing nothing. Tornado is very linear regardless of the tension, and simply isn't a top tier offering. I've tried it in multiple gauges, multiple times, and it can't compete. Honestly, if you need a Saw II worthy textured poly, BHBR is superior to Tornado in all regards.

 

[mikeler]

Thats what Im hearing from the 5 guys telling me to try these lol, 3 say Tornado is the best and 2 say B5E is the best. Well I should be getting on court with these at some point next week. Quick Q, how fast does the edges wear out on Tornado? How fast do they wear out on B5E (if they do at all)? Ill be going full bed at 54lbs btw.

I've inspected B5E several times after my Mantis Comfort crosses break which is typically around 12 hours of match play. The edges do not wear down but I believe that is because they are not very pronounced in the first place.

 

[USERNAME]

I've inspected B5E several times after my Mantis Comfort crosses break which is typically around 12 hours of match play. The edges do not wear down but I believe that is because they are not very pronounced in the first place.

Oh interesting, thanks for the response. So do you think tornado should bite more because the edges ARE more pronounced?

 

[mikeler]

Oh interesting, thanks for the response. So do you think tornado should bite more because the edges ARE more pronounced?

I thought Tornado should have more bite but for me B5E produced more spin.

 

[pvaudio]

Oh interesting, thanks for the response. So do you think tornado should bite more because the edges ARE more pronounced?

No. Tornado tends to notch into itself too much, limiting the amount that the strings can move against one another. B5E, however, seems to have just the right profile. I don't believe that anything but geared strings yield lots of extra topspin above what you normally get.

 

[USERNAME]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, much appreciated. Well I popped 3 frames in my sesh today so 2 are getting strung with B5E and SPT at 54lbs, depending how long it takes my bud I should be able to get a hit in with both by sunday.

 

[mikeler]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, much appreciated. Well I popped 3 frames in my sesh today so 2 are getting strung with B5E and SPT at 54lbs, depending how long it takes my bud I should be able to get a hit in with both by sunday.

Cool, looking forward to hearing which one you like better.

 

[TripleB]

Right now I prefer the Tornado.

That being said I have the Tornado in a LM Radical MP and the Black 5 Edge in a 4D 300G. I think if I dropped the tension in the B5E down some (right now 54 with 56 mains) I might like it better if it softens up. At the tension I have it, it plays a little too stiff compared to the Tornado (but again, that may be due to the different characteristics of the racquets themselves).

TripleB

 

[USERNAME]

Everybodys a critic! The friend stringing my frames said Hepta-Twist is his fav and put a set in my 3rd frame! Well free string is free string... I got a couple hours on both the SPT and B5E today, gotta say both are nice.

Right off the bat I could tell SPT was nice and soft like most every SP string Ive used. It had Really nice pocketing which made it easy to place my shots and load up on spin. Not alot of pop from SPT, had to take a good cut and aim higher to get a good deep ball, but they kicked nicely so no real problems there. Had a devil of a time flattening out my shots though which was a bit annoying but its still only my 1st hit. Im fairly happy with SPT so far.

B5E was a different animal, had a stiffer more dead feel to it but not to the extent of Lux. The ball went through the air more quickly then with SPT or my usual PLII but seemed to just drop down and kick straight through the court. <<<I LOVED that! Im much more used to the flatter line so I was more comfortable with this string. Still couldnt find that flat shot with this string but I could take off ALOT more spin much more easily with B5E then SPT.
So far they are still neck and neck in my book. SPT=Good feel, easy spin, and great placement control; B5E=Great pop, nice/interesting spin, and more versatile.
If you have more specific Qs about these 2, please do ask. Also, just wondering, is Hepta-Twist any good at all?

 

[USERNAME]

Ok I got more time with B5E and SPT, plus like 45 minutes with Hepta-Twist. All are interesting to say the least, now I have a more solid feel for SPT and B5E and gotta say I like the versatility of the WeissCannon string over the soft feel and touch of the Signum.
*B5E*
Groundies: Stiffer snappy feel but not harsh on the arm at all. Good topspin generated naturally (no change in stroke path) but can really bite down on the felt if so needed, the normal rally shots I hit flew on a flatter line then with SPT and then dropped kicking through the court rather then kicking up high. Slice was real nice, didn't float at all and went through the court staying low. Kinda found my flat ball but I didn't REALLY need it since I was getting more of an extreme angle on my putaways. Only hitting up the line on shots between my shoulder and waist were still not to great, I found myself having more spin then I wanted and ended up getting a slightly tougher volley then usual (small complaint).
Volleys: Great! Especially when compared to SPT. Went through the court fast and had nice placement. Touch shots weren't bad but they weren't good either, just ok.
Serves: Flat serves were good, they were easy to direct and had lots of power behind them. Slice serves were also quite good, much more noticeable movement then with PLII and again good power to get them through the court fast. Kick and topspin serves were ok but really nothing to rave about AT ALL.

*SPT*
Groundies: VERRRRY SPINNNY. That can be good and bad, for about 1.5-2 hours I was hitting very big and heavy topspin shots that pushed the guys I was with off the baseline by a very good margin but once I let up and started getting a bit winded, BOOM, depth goes bye-bye! Gotta aim higher and have the ball sit up more or hit flat which I had the hardest time doing with these strings. Just to add, the guys I was with said these were the heaviest balls I hit (with SPT) but then also the slowest towards the end of our sessions. Slices were great at first, ball stayed low which is what you usually want but then I saw it... They floated and sat up after the bounce, they stayed low but still sat up! Against the lower levels that might be OK but against any good D1 or D2 guy (or top junior) these will get torn apart. Flat ball was nowhere to be seen with these, I did not like that. Plus side though, angles were stupid good, I mean it was dumb the angles I could create.
Volleys: Other then touchy feely shots, these sucked. BAD. Once again the ball floated and sat up more then what I've ever had with a poly.
Serves: Flat was ok but not as much pop as with B5E. Slice was great in terms of placement but not enough pop. Kick and topspin, however, were magical! The ball seemed to have a motor on it! Even though they weren't super fast, they jumped. I mean the ball had some major hops lol, grrrreat for 2nd serves. I don't think I hit a double with these.

I have not had enough time with Hepta-Twist but I gotta say it's got some ridiculous power and great spin.

 

[un6a]

Very good review. What racquet are you play with ?

 

[USERNAME]

Thanks, I try to give good info. I just changed up the setup on my YT Prestige MP, 12.8oz with the swing weight now at 340. I play on a middle of the pack D1 school, was top 50 as a junior player at my peak, and now play lots of tournys in my spare time. SW forehand that I hit more flat then with spin, E backhand with more uniform spin and pace, love coming to net, and love my spin serves. If I had to say my playing style I'd say I'm much more of an all-courter now but still will revert back to counterpunching if I'm not doing to good.

 

[un6a]

I play with YPMP (stock) too. So far i tried only PL II (1.15) and SP Hyperion (1.18 ) at 53/51 lbs.
Hyperion feels pretty good in this frame. Basicly it is softer nontextured version of tornado.

 

[USERNAME]

Ok, got more time with Hepta this morning! It feels like a crisper version of SPT. Has tons of power on tap but with the ease of spin production control and consistency were still very much there. No problems what so ever in placing my shots and redirecting power, putaways were better/easier then with B5E or SPT because while the ball was spinny it had more pop behind it so it was penetrating the court. I really was very pleased with how much of a controlled feel this string has even with all the power. Flat shots were inbetween B5E and SPT, still not great but like B5E I didn't really need to hit flat all that often. Still had somewhat similar problems on the slice as with SPT but they weren't nearly as bad, plus the balls were going much deeper in the court. Volleys were flying a bit but the feel was very nice and I'm sure it'll get much better now that I know what to expect. No serves yet but I will comment on them once I hit a few.
So far Hepta and B5E are great, SPT was good just not really for me.

 

[USERNAME]

So far Hepta-Twist is godplayer from the back court. Its a very fun string, Ill go more in depth soon with it against B5E.

 

[USERNAME]

Just putting this up real quick since Im goin out soon, but Hepta-Twist is a pretty mean string! It is owning SPT in every way so far and I am actually more confident in my shots with it compared to B5E since it does have a tad less pop and more spin.